A Baby Changes Everything!
Christ's coming fulfilled the hope of nations.
My husband has a little book written in 1955 called The New Testament in Verse written by Alvy E. Ford. Ford summarizes Luke 2 with these words:
Mary at Bethlehem, brings forth a Son,
Lays in a manger; redemption's begun.
Jesus conceived by the blest Holy Ghost.
Shepherds are told by the Heavenly Host.
What God was doing wasn't visible to all even though he prepared it in the face of all people! The shepherds were the first to receive the Good News. And later on in the chapter we see a simple man named Simeon who was waiting for God to fulfill His promise.
Simeon was just and righteous and being led and taught by the Holy Spirit. God does not give His Spirit to just anyone! Simeon's life pleased God and he was blessed to have seen Jesus, the Long awaited Messiah, the Lord's anointed, the Light of the Gentiles, and the Glory of Israel.
May my life also be one that pleases God, just and holy in His sight, led and fed by the Holy Spirit! I don't want to miss out on any of the blessings God has in store for me. As we head to Peru, we want to share "the hope of nations"! There are those who are waiting and hoping that their good works will be good enough to get them into heaven, but we have a more sure hope of salvation in Jesus Christ!
Christ's life gives us an example to follow.
Live under the grace of God daily.
Live in obedience to God's commands daily.
Another example to follow is Christ's example of obedience in all things. He was "subject unto" His parents! What a novel idea in this day and age. He truly lived up to the commandment to honor His earthly father and mother. We know what we SHOULD do, but it is often difficult to submit our own fleshly will that wants to do what it wants to do! We know what we want our children to do, but are daily fighting against their own self-will and pride. If God Al
mighty, the Maker of all things, could willingly subject Himself in obedience to mortal man, can we not do the same? What a different place the world would be if we followed the example of Christ!
Live in a continual state of growth.
The last verse of Luke 2 states, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." Jesus increased in wisdom. The book of James tells us that wisdom comes from God, and if we don't have it, then we need to ask for it, and God will supply it liberally!
Jesus also increased in stature, meaning He literally "grew up", just like the rest of us did. That doesn't take much effort, it just happens naturally, which is also something that God is orchestrating in our lives.
Last, Jesus not only grew in His spiritual and physical life, but also in His daily relationships with others. This is where "the rubber meets the road" in our daily Christian walk. We can't make excuses for being at odds with everyone around us while claiming to love God. Jesus may have been perfect, but the people around Him were not. (I know somebody is saying, "Amen!" to that one!).
So while we are passing our years "as a tale that is told" here in this life, we should also be growing in wisdom. Don't have enough? Keep asking God for more! The more wisdom that we have, should be reflected in our daily walk with God and our relationships with others.
Some boast in their great knowledge, bu I know that my wisdom will always fail me. Some claim you should "follow your heart", but I know that my heart will always lead me to seek my own desires. I need God's help to submit and surrender my will and my life to Him.
Let's follow the example of Christ today!
Be blessed!
-Casandra
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